PRESIDENT of the 62nd Session
United Nations General Assembly

Mr. Yumkella is the Director-Generalof UNIDO. Mr.Yumkella assumed the position of Director-General on 8 December 2005.

Mr. Yumkella was the Minister for Trade, Industry and State Enterprises of Sierra Leone from 1994 to 1995. He joined UNIDO in 1996 as Special Advisor to the then Director-General, Mauricio de Maria y Campos. In the same year he became Director of the Africa and Least Developed Countries Regional Bureau, until 2000 when he went to Nigeria as UNIDO Representative and Director of the Regional Office, a position he held until 2003. From 2003 until his election as Director-General he was a Senior Advisor to the then Director-General, Carlos Magariños.

During his early career Mr. Yumkella held several academic and research positions in the United States. He has also co-authored several articles, books and papers on international trade and development issues. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois.